David Dicks
David Dicks | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 (age 45–46) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Sailor |
David Dicks OAM CitWA, (born 1978) is an Australian sailor. He became the youngest person to sail non-stop and solo around the world.[1] In February 1996, at the age of 17, he set out from Fremantle, Western Australia in his family's 10m S&S 34 sloop named 'Seaflight'. During his 9 month circumnavigation, he faced many challenges such as numerous knockdowns, bad weather, equipment failure, and food poisoning. Because of accepting a bolt to fix his rig near the Falkland Islands, his circumnavigation was not considered unassisted. He returned back safely to Fremantle in November 1996 amid great fanfare, including a ticker-tape parade and being given the 'keys' to Perth City. In 1999 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). David held the youngest (assisted) solo circumnavigation record for 13 years, from 1996 to 2009, and still holds the record for the youngest solo non-stop circumnavigation, albeit with assistance.[2] Although Jessica Watson captured the youngest age record in May 2010, her unassisted solo circumnavigation did not meet the minimum orthodromic distance requirement of 21,600 nautical miles set by the WSSRC.[3] When Jesse Martin completed his solo non-stop circumnavigation in 1999, unassisted, he was 24 days older than David Dicks at the completion of the latter's assisted voyage.
See also
References
- ^ "Youngest Circumnavigators | Youngest Solo Circumnavigators". Worldsailingrecords.com. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
- ^ All for Naught?. Sail Magazine, August 12, 2009. Retrieved 26 Oct 2010.
- ^ Jessica Watson: Keeping the Record Straight. Sail World, May 5, 2010. Retrieved 26 Oct 2010.
External links
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